Langley Green Primary

Langley Green Primary School Langley Drive, Langley Green, Crawley, RH11 7PF

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Overall effectiveness

Previous inspection: Satisfactory 3 This inspection: Good 2 Achievement of pupils Good 2 Quality of teaching Good 2 Behaviour and safety of pupils Good 2 Leadership and management Good 2

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school.  Children make good progress in the Early Years Foundation Stage.  From Years 1 to 6, pupils, including the most able and those who speak English as an additional language, achieve well and make good progress in reading and mathematics.  Teaching is typically good and has improved since the last inspection. Some teaching is outstanding. Pupils enjoy their lessons, which provide very well for their spiritual, moral, social and cultural development.  Pupils’ behaviour is good. They are polite and friendly, enjoy school and feel safe.  The headteacher is resolutely focused on improving the school and ensuring that all pupils achieve their potential. She has been well supported since the last inspection by a strengthened and able leadership team and an effective, knowledgeable governing body. As a result, teaching is improving and standards are rising.  Strong relationships exist with most parents,

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Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

who value their involvement in the education of their children and the life of the school.

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It is not yet an outstanding school because

 There is not enough outstanding teaching to drive pupils’ progress even faster so that their achievement is outstanding. Work is occasionally not sufficiently challenging and pupils are not always given enough opportunities to improve their work and extend their skills, particularly in writing.  A minority of pupils in Key Stage 2 continue to struggle when using letter sounds to help them read and write.  Attendance is improving, but is only just average. The school recognises that even closer work with parents and further strategies are needed to continue to improve attendance and reduce the number of persistent absentees.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors observed 16 lessons or parts of lessons taught by 14 teachers as well as one assembly. Six lessons were jointly observed with the headteacher, deputy, and assistant headteachers.  A short visit was made to observe the teaching of literacy for pupils learning outside the classroom.  Meetings were held with senior leaders, staff and members of the governing body. In addition, the lead inspector met with a representative from the local authority to discuss the nature and impact of support provided for the school.  Inspectors talked with pupils, listened to them read and observed them at play during break and lunchtimes.  The inspection team observed the school’s work, and looked at a number of documents, including the school’s information on pupils’ progress for the previous three years, and pupils’ work. Inspectors looked at the school’s checks on how well it is doing and school improvement

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Information about this inspection

documentation, planning and assessment information. They considered documentation on the management of teachers’ performance, school policies and records relating to behaviour, safety and attendance. The school’s safeguarding procedures were also evaluated.  Inspectors took account of 22 responses to the online questionnaire, Parent View, and 20 replies to the staff questionnaire. The views of parents were sought at the start of the school day as they brought their children to school, and the responses of parents to a school questionnaire were examined.

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Inspection team

David Webster, Lead inspector Additional Inspector Julie Ritchie Additional Inspector Carolyn Steer Additional Inspector

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Information about this school

 Langley Green Primary is a larger than average-sized primary school.  The Early Years Foundation Stage includes a Nursery and two single-age Reception classes. Pupils are taught in single age groups in Year 1 and Year 2, and in mixed-age classes through the rest of the school.  The proportion of pupils from minority ethnic groups is well above the national average, as is the proportion who speaks English as an additional language.  The proportion of pupils known to be eligible for the pupil premium, which provides additional funding for pupils known to be eligible for free school meals, those in local authority care and other groups, is below average.  The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs who are supported through school action is just above the national average. The proportion supported at school action plus or with a statement of special educational needs is well below the national

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Information about this school

average.  The school met the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress, in 2013 overall.

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

 Improve the quality of teaching to outstanding and so raise standards to above average, particularly in writing, by the end of Year 6 by:  ensuring that the work pupils are given is always sufficiently challenging to enable them to learn well and make good progress  ensuring that the minority of pupils at Key Stage 2 who are still struggling to fully understand and use letter sounds when reading and writing quickly master this skill  ensuring that all teachers provide time for pupils to respond to high quality feedback about their learning and how they might improve, in line with the best practice evident in the school  providing more opportunities for pupils to practise and extend their writing skills in other subject areas.  Raise attendance and further reduce the numbers of pupils who are persistently absent by:  working even more closely with parents to ensure they understand the importance of sending

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What does the school need to do to improve further?

their children to school regularly  maintaining and building upon current efforts to improve attendance while also seeking new ways of encouraging pupils to come to school regularly.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Due to typically good teaching pupils make good progress throughout the school. Most parents agree their children progress well. Achievement is not outstanding because there is not enough outstanding teaching for pupils to make rapid progress in their learning.  When children start in the Nursery and Reception classes, their skills are generally well below those typical for their age, particularly in aspects of communication and literacy. They make good progress overall in the Early Years Foundation Stage and achieve well because teaching is good and adults ensure they feel safe and enjoy their learning.  Attainment at the end of Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2 has improved strongly since the last inspection. For the last two years pupils have made good progress overall between Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2, and several pupils have achieved more than the expected progress for their age in reading, writing and mathematics. School information, confirmed by progress seen in

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The achievement of pupils is good

books, shows that this improving trend is set to continue. Pupils are on track to attain overall standards which are slightly below national at Key Stage 1 and broadly in line with national at Key Stage 2. However, this year they have not always received work which challenges them enough to make progress which exceeds expected rates in writing.  Because work is planned to build well on previous understanding and expectations are high, the most able pupils make good progress, particularly in mathematics. For example, one pupil in Year 6 was observed relishing the challenge of dividing complex decimal numbers.  Pupils who are disabled or who have special educational needs make good progress due to high quality targeted support, as do those who speak English as an additional language and those from minority ethnic groups, demonstrating the school’s commitment to ensuring every pupil has an equal opportunity to succeed and that there is no discrimination.

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The achievement of pupils is good

 Pupils at Key Stage 1 make good progress in understanding the sounds letters make. These skills help them achieve well in their reading. Pupils at Key Stage 2 enjoy reading, and good quality additional support has helped those who find reading difficult to become more competent, but some still struggle to use phonics (understanding the sounds letters make) effectively to help them read and write.  The below average number of pupils eligible for additional funding achieve well. Compared to other pupils in the school their attainment is above average at the end of Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2. These pupils benefit from well-planned individual and group support which has helped accelerate their progress and ensure they have caught up with, and in some cases attain better than, their classmates.

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The quality of teaching is good

 Since the last inspection teaching has improved and is now typically good. Some is outstanding. As a result, pupils’ attainment continues to rise.  Typically, teachers plan and organise lessons very well. They inspire pupils with interesting and demanding work that makes them think hard and deepens their understanding. In a Year 6 mathematics lesson pupils demonstrated high levels of engagement, both in their responses to the teacher’s comments in marked work and in class as they rose, with obvious enjoyment, to the challenge of using an efficient written method for division.  Teachers use their good, and sometimes excellent, subject knowledge well to ask thoughtful questions of pupils of all abilities, assess their understanding and check that they are not finding the work too easy or too difficult. In an English lesson taught by a Year 2 teacher, her energetic and challenging questioning on reading vocabulary generated high levels of commitment to

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The quality of teaching is good

learning. Pupils worked well together to construct high quality descriptive sentences and were determined to work out the pronunciation and meaning of unknown words for themselves.  The quality of marking has improved since the last inspection and guidance is typically of high quality. However, while there is some excellent practice in the school, not all teachers provide sufficient time for pupils to respond to the advice given and to make sure that they understand their errors and so are able to improve their work.  In the Early Years Foundation Stage, staff work well together, helping children to learn confidently with increasing independence. Teaching staff have a secure knowledge of how young children learn best and are skilled in moving learning on, both in the activities they have planned and those that children choose themselves. For example, in one Reception class careful assessment, clear expectations and exciting, well-resourced activities resulted in children

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The quality of teaching is good

working together well to rapidly develop their language skills.  Phonic skills are taught well during the Early Years Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1. Teachers plan this work to match pupils’ different stages of development, making good use of well-trained teaching assistants to lead groups so that progress for all pupils is good.  The focus which the school has had upon developing the quality of the teaching of literacy has made a real difference to pupils’ learning. Pupils’ books show that reading and writing skills are continually developed. However, pupils’ progress in writing is currently not as good as that in reading because the opportunities provided for them to practise and extend their writing skills across different subjects still require further development.  Good teaching of mathematics, including mental mathematics, problem solving and regular opportunities for pupils to apply mathematical skills in different contexts, has led to consistently

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The quality of teaching is good

good achievement over time.  Well-trained teaching assistants make a good contribution, including leading additional learning programmes, to helping pupils who have fallen behind to catch up.  The learning and progress of some pupils in lower Key Stage 2 are not as rapid as in other parts of the school because teaching is not as strong. Where teaching is not yet good all pupils are not given work that challenges them to do their best or fully engages them.

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

 The behaviour of pupils is good. Pupils are proud of their school and particularly appreciate the hard work of their teachers to make learning interesting and fun, and to offer a wide range of clubs, trips and visits.  They have excellent relationships with teachers and support staff who have high expectations of their behaviour and what they can achieve. This helps pupils to be respectful and try their best. Pupils’ enjoyment and effort are clearly evident in their work.  Most pupils say that behaviour is good and that misbehaviour occurs only very occasionally and then by a very small minority of pupils. School records and discussions with parents, staff and pupils show that behaviour is typically good. During the inspection pupils’ behaviour as they learnt was sometimes outstanding. Their well-developed social skills support effective learning in a range of situations, for example when they are required to listen carefully to teachers, work as

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

a team, or get on with tasks by themselves.  Pupils readily accept responsibility and the opportunity to contribute to the school community, for example as a play leader, reading buddy or member of the school council.  Attendance has improved since the previous inspection, but is only just average. The school recognises the need to work even more closely and effectively with parents, especially those parents who are most difficult to reach, in order to improve attendance further.  Behaviour is not outstanding because, very occasionally when the pace or challenge of a lesson slows, a few pupils become fidgety and start to chat among themselves.  The school’s work to keep pupils safe and secure is good. Pupils have a clear understanding of most types of bullying and the risks they might face in their everyday lives. They have a good understanding of how to use technology, including the internet, safely. They are clear that they

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The behaviour and safety of pupils are good

have trust and confidence in the adults in the school to keep them safe and deal with any worries they might have.

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The leadership and management are good

 The headteacher and senior leadership team provide strong leadership and drive to improve pupils’ achievement and the quality of teaching. Middle leaders are excellent role models for teaching and lead by example to make a very effective contribution to school improvement and maintaining high expectations of pupils’ behaviour. Staff morale is high and staff share the headteacher’s commitment to the school’s future.  Senior and middle leaders are all involved in various ways in checking the effectiveness of the school. Formal observations of teaching, ‘drop ins’ to lessons, scrutiny of pupils’ work, and discussions with pupils are all undertaken. Senior leaders have a very clear picture of the quality of teaching. They make sure that teachers receive support, coaching and training that are carefully aimed at improving the skills they need to develop.  Leadership and management are not yet outstanding because there is not enough outstanding

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The leadership and management are good

teaching and achievement in writing is not as strong as in reading and mathematics.  The progress of groups and individuals is tracked and analysed meticulously. The findings are discussed with teachers at regular pupil progress meetings. Pupils’ progress is the determining factor in decisions that are made with the governors about teachers’ salary progression.  Senior and middle leaders use their accurate understanding of how well the school is doing to plan and implement priorities for improvement well. This is evident, for example, in the success of the school’s initiative in literacy which has increased achievement in reading and is bringing strengthened quality of teaching in writing.  The curriculum is a real strength of the school as it provides for and meets the needs of the pupils effectively. Lively and engaging topics keep the children keen to learn. Leaders ensure that pupils’ basic skills are developed well.

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The leadership and management are good

 The school promotes pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development very well. It has, for example, excellent links with schools in Europe and Rwanda to help pupils deepen their understanding of the lives of others and the ways they can help them.  Strong links exist with most parents and the community. Parents feel valued and supported.  Good use has been made of additional primary sports funding to improve the quality of sports coaching and the range of sports for pupils to try, such as dance. This has resulted in increased participation in activities, including competitions, which promotes a healthy lifestyle and increased challenge to pupils to perform at their best.  The school has received good support from the local authority in checking the accuracy of its judgements about how well it is doing and the rigour of its review processes.  The governance of the school:  Governance is good. Governors are very supportive of and committed to the school. They visit

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The leadership and management are good

regularly, know the school well, and are determined to promote school improvement. They are well trained and rigorously check and challenge the work of the school, particularly the quality of teaching and the progress of different groups of pupils. This is clearly evident in the well- documented questions they ask about the school’s performance. Extra funding is used well for the benefit of those pupils who are eligible and their progress is carefully tracked. Governors keep a careful eye on the school’s finances. They ensure that teachers’ salary awards are closely linked to the progress of pupils, and that safeguarding arrangements meet requirements. They have rigorous systems set up to monitor the performance of the headteacher. Governors are proud of the school and its place in the community.

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Grade Judgement Description

Grade 1 Outstanding An outstanding school is highly effective in delivering outcomes that provide exceptionally well for all its pupils’ needs. This ensures that pupils are very well equipped for the next stage of their education, training or employment. Grade 2 Good A good school is effective in delivering outcomes that provide well for all its pupils’ needs. Pupils are well prepared for the next stage of their education, training or employment. Grade 3 Requires improvement A school that requires improvement is not yet a good school, but it is not inadequate. This school will receive a full inspection within 24 months from the date of this inspection. Grade 4 Inadequate A school that has serious weaknesses is inadequate overall and requires significant improvement but leadership and management are judged to be Grade 3 or better. This school will receive regular monitoring by Ofsted inspectors. A school that requires special measures is one where the school is

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Grade Judgement Description

failing to give its pupils an acceptable standard of education and the school’s leaders, managers or governors have not demonstrated that they have the capacity to secure the necessary improvement in the school. This school will receive regular monitoring by Ofsted inspectors.

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School details

Unique reference number 133967 Local authority West Sussex Inspection number 431062

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School details

This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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School details

Type of school Primary School category Community Age range of pupils 3–11 Gender of pupils Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 393 Appropriate authority The governing body Chair Mark Sudan Headteacher Alison Wallis Date of previous school inspection 15–16 May 2012 Telephone number 01293 525675 Fax number 01293 538340 Email address office@langleygreenprimary.w-sussex.sch.uk guidance ‘raising concerns and making complaints about Ofsted', which is available from Ofsted’s website: www.ofsted.gov.uk . If you would like Ofsted to send you a copy of the guidance, please telephone 0300 123 4234 , or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

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School details

You can use Parent View to give Ofsted your opinion on your child’s school. Ofsted will use the information parents and carers provide when deciding which schools to inspect and when and as part of the inspection.

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School details

You can also use Parent View to find out what other parents and carers think about schools in England. You can visit www.parentview.ofsted.gov.uk, or look for the link on the main Ofsted website: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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School details

achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, work- based learning and skills training, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for looked after children, safeguarding and child protection. Further copies of this report are obtainable from the school. Under the Education Act 2005, the school must provide a copy of this report free of charge to certain categories of people. A charge not exceeding the full cost of reproduction may be made for any other copies supplied. If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please

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School details

telephone 0300 123 4234, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk . You may copy all or parts of this document for non-commercial educational purposes, as long as you give details of the source and date of publication and do not alter the information in any way. To receive regular email alerts about new publications, including survey reports and school inspection reports, please visit our website and go to ‘Subscribe’.

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School details

T: 0300 123 4234 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.ofsted.gov.uk

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